Key Findings
- Nearly four in five Americans (78%) have chosen to sit out of at least one traditional holiday celebration this year.
- Singles are 70% more likely than married Americans to feel they have too few opportunities to be the focal point of a celebration.
- The top anti-ordinary experience Americans are most interested in celebrating is earning a promotion (42%), with an average hosting budget of $264.
- Gen Z is willing to spend more to celebrate untraditional milestones like divorce ($367) and moving ($243) than they are on their own birthdays ($202).
- A third of Americans (31%) now find celebrating anti-ordinary moments more meaningful than honoring a traditional holiday.
When you’re a kid, the holidays feel like the best time of the year, but these days, that feeling can be harder to find. Between the rising cost of living and the way social life has shifted since COVID-19, it’s easy to understand why nearly four in five Americans (78%) have decided to skip at least one traditional holiday this year. In its place, Americans are choosing to throw anti-ordinary celebrations — events that celebrate milestones that might otherwise seem mundane.
To better understand what people are celebrating, we surveyed over 1,000 Americans to learn which traditional events they’re skipping, which anti-ordinary celebrations they’re embracing instead, and how much they’re willing to spend on these moments.
Rethinking Traditional Celebrations
Rising costs and shifting priorities are changing how Americans celebrate, and what counts as a holiday is starting to look different.
The main reason Americans are skipping traditional celebrations is that they don’t have a strong emotional connection to them, as 71% of respondents reported feeling this way. Skipping a traditional holiday can also be a money-saver. According to our study, the average hosting budget runs about $472 for Christmas and $272 for Thanksgiving. So, the 10% of people skipping Christmas and 9% skipping Thanksgiving this year won’t feel quite as much of a pinch in their wallets.
Which Holidays are Americans Skipping – and Who’s Skipping Them?
The older Americans get, the less likely they are to celebrate traditional holidays. St. Patrick’s Day is the most often skipped, with 34% saying they passed on it this year, followed by Valentine’s Day (25%).
It’s no surprise that Valentine’s Day lands in the top three — 34% of singles surveyed don’t think they’ve been celebrated enough in the past year. Nineteen percent of respondents even said they’re not celebrating traditional holidays because they have no one to celebrate with.
If you’re looking for a way to celebrate being single or someone in your life who’s single, Virgin Gifts offers countless experiences to make any moment memorable. And it’s not just singles who are struggling to find reasons to celebrate; nearly one in 10 (8%) of married Americans won’t be celebrating their anniversaries this year. Overall, 15% of all respondents are also skipping anniversaries.
This shift is happening regionally, not just nationwide, with 71% of New Yorkers sitting out at least one traditional holiday this year. For those New Yorkers looking to celebrate some of life’s more anti-ordinary milestones, whether it’s an unconventional anniversary, a new job, or just a Tuesday they are increasingly spoilt for choice when it comes to unique ways to mark the moment. If you’re a New Yorker looking for a more unique celebration, why not try tandem skydiving over Niagara Falls or a sensory art experience where you sculpt without sight?
The Rise of Anti-Ordinary Celebrations
Across America, people are trading old traditions for personal milestones they feel a stronger connection to.
Across the country, 60% of Americans have begun to embrace the “anti-ordinary,” turning everyday milestones into meaningful memories. This movement reflects a broader shift in priorities. People are choosing to celebrate personal successes and achievements rather than wait for traditional holidays.
Most Popular Anti-Ordinary Celebrations
- Promotion 42%
- Moving 36%
- Becoming debt-free 35%
- Overcoming a major personal challenge (ex. sobriety) 33%
- Achieving a significant financial goal 31%
- Achieving a fitness goal 28%
- Getting a new pet 28%
- Friendversary 18%
- Divorce/separation 10%
- Vasectomies (or other medical sterilization) 7%
Celebrations Across Generations and US Regions
Gen Z is the most open-minded generation when it comes to celebrating, with 70% having celebrated an anti-ordinary moment. Thirty-six percent of Gen Zers say they’d mark getting a new pet, and nearly one in five would even celebrate a vasectomy. Baby Boomers would rather focus on financial milestones, with 27% saying they’re most interested in celebrating becoming debt-free.
Across the map, local cultures shape what people choose to celebrate. Over half (58%) of Californians have celebrated an anti-ordinary moment, and they’re most interested in celebrating earning a promotion. To commemorate these milestones, they might snorkel with leopard sharks, take a high altitude glider ride, or even go crabbing at the Golden Gate Bridge.
On the other hand, three in five Nevada residents have celebrated the anti-ordinary, and they’re most interested in toasting to overcoming a significant personal challenge, such as managing anxiety or maintaining sobriety. To honor this personal growth, they could mark the occasion with an exhilarating new experience: driving a monster truck, challenging their focus on mini baja chase, or building confidence with an intro to pole dancing class.
These trends show that Americans are changing what it means to celebrate, shifting the focus from traditional holidays to more personalized moments they can celebrate on their own terms.
New Reasons to Celebrate
Americans are moving away from tradition and choosing celebrations that reflect who they are and what matters most to them right now.
Nearly half of Americans (46%) say anti-ordinary celebrations are becoming more common in their social circles, and one in three (31%) agree that these untraditional milestones have more meaning than traditional holidays. The main reasons to have an anti-ordinary celebration include marking a personal achievement (64%), creating meaningful memories (60%), and acknowledging personal growth (55%).
So, Why Celebrate the Uncelebrated?
As Licensed Psychotherapist and Founder of Madison Square Psychotherapy Kristin Anderson explains, this trend is both a response to changing times and a lasting cultural shift. “Social and economic pressures absolutely play a role,” she says. “Many people feel like they’re not progressing through life in the way previous generations did, making traditional milestone markers feel less accessible.”
But she also sees something deeper happening: “People are choosing to mark moments that feel personally meaningful, rather than inheriting rituals that don’t reflect their reality.” Forty-two percent of Americans view anti-ordinary celebrations as a form of self-care, echoing that sentiment, while 56% say these moments bring them a sense of shared joy. These celebrations also meet deeper emotional needs, such as self-recognition (45%), motivation (42%), and connection (41%). For many, they’re a reminder to slow down and connect with others in a world that can feel busy and disconnected.
Gen Z is leading this cultural redefinition of celebration. They’re embracing the anti-ordinary by turning their personal milestones into events worth celebrating — spending $367 to mark a divorce or $243 to mark a big move.
For people who still love traditional holidays, many are choosing to make them more anti-ordinary. Over half of respondents (54%) are celebrating in non-traditional settings, while others are replacing their traditional foods (47%) or skipping store-bought gifts (39%). Twenty-seven percent of respondents are dedicating the holiday to community service, and 26% are making it a “no phones allowed” space.
As Anderson notes, “We’re always creating, adjusting, and looking for ways to feel connected. These newer rituals are just one way of doing that on our own terms.”
For those looking to celebrate their own anti-ordinary moments, Virgin Gifts offers countless ways to make them unforgettable—from a tree camping adventure in Oregon, to learning to fly a Gyroplane in Hawaii, a Puff, Pass & Paint class in Colorado, or a private Northern Lights dogsled tour in Alaska.
A New Era of Celebration
In 2025, Americans aren’t following the traditional holiday calendar as closely as they once did. From everyday wins to major milestones, people are choosing anti-ordinary experiences that better reflect who they are and what matters to them.
“Gifting, at its core, has always been about deepening connections,” says Danni Rush, CEO of Virgin Gifts. “Over time we’re seeing a wider shift away from people focusing solely on traditional, milestone gifts, and really starting to recognize life’s lesser-celebrated moments.
“Gifting is about showing someone you really see and understand them. That’s always going to be unique, so it stands to reason that people are carving out time and energy towards these more personal, genuine moments of celebration, rather than following a traditional playbook.
“We’ve seen this reflected in the types of experience gifts people are choosing, too – where once people were focussed on major, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to mark milestone birthdays or weddings, we’re seeing more customers choose to shake up everyday routines with more accessible gifts – think immersive dining, cocktail making and unique group activities like stargazing parties.”
Virgin Gifts supports this shift, offering a range of activities and experiences to celebrate the moments that matter most to you.
Methodology
To explore Americans’ celebration habits, we surveyed 1,002 Americans. This sample size provides 95% confidence at a low 3% margin of error. Because this exploratory research relied on self-reported data, respondents may have biases, and discrepancies may exist between their answers and their actual experiences.
Fair Use Statement
Eager to plan your next anti-ordinary event? We encourage you to use our findings! All we ask is that you link back to this study to ensure proper attribution to our researchers.
